A central tenet of public utility regulation is to have utilities perform at high service levels. One area of performance for gas utilities is “lost and unaccounted-for” (LAUF) gas. Customers of gas utilities effectively pay for more natural gas than they actually consume. Reasons for this...

The sharp increase in utility rates since the 1970s has inflicted great hardship on low-income households. For many, paying their utility bills means sacrificing the purchase of other commodities essential to their economic well-being.' Another symptom of this problem is exhibited by the...